Medical student helps clinic in Africa

As a second-year medical student at the Sanford School of Medicine of the University of South Dakota, AJ Iverson already is putting her education to use.

Iverson, 23, spent a month in Malawi this summer working in a pediatric AIDS clinic as part of a study program at USD. It was valuable training for the Sioux Falls native who's always wanted to become a doctor.

Iverson also got to meet a young boy whom she sponsors through an international charity program.
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Question: How did the opportunity to go to Africa come about?

Answer: It all started when I was 6 or 7. I always felt like God was going to send me to Africa.

The summer before last, I started sponsoring a little boy named Mervin through World Vision in Malawi. So I said, "OK God, if this is what you want I'll go."

I started reading different books about programs over there and found this program through Baylor University, the Baylor College of Medicine Children's Center of Excellence in Malawi.

These doctors sign up for at least two years to go to a country and train local providers so the clinic eventually can stand on its own. It's all about treating children with HIV or have been exposed, like babies through their mothers.

The hospital is such a different experience and a wonderful learning experience. There's so much to tell, and it was completely difficult and completely amazing all at the same time.

Q: Tell me about the program at USD that your trip is part of.

A: It's the Scholarship Pathways program. There's a vision that medical students, if given funds, can do pretty cool things and carry out their vision.

They give you scholarship money for an eight-week kick-off, and then you carry out the program.

The specific thing that I'm working on is breast health in the prevention of mother-child transmission of HIV.

The World Health Organization wants mothers in developing countries to breast-feed, even HIV-infected mothers, because there are so many advantages to breast-feeding.

In the U.S., HIV-infected mothers don't breast-feed because of the likelihood of transmission. But babies die in third-world countries if mothers don't breast-feed because of the lack of clean water and things like that. And there's a stigma attached to moms who don't breast-feed.

So my project is about educating mothers about how to reduce the risk of HIV transmission through good breast health.

Q: Do you want to stay in South Dakota when you finish medical school? How do you think your experiences in Africa will help you in the future?

A: South Dakota has been my home for almost 24 years. I love South Dakota and the Midwest. I don't know if I'd necessarily be in Sioux Falls; maybe out west in Rapid City.

I definitely want to do something that will translate into giving me opportunities to go and serve in other countries ... I believe that quote, "Do what you can with what you have where you are."

While I'm here and I can't get back to Africa anytime soon, I want to help however I can in Sioux Falls or Vermillion or Rapid City. I want to do whatever I can for people right at home, too.